The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,827, entitled "LABEL PRINTING SYSTEM FOR A COMPUTER OUTPUT LINE PRINTER", issued to Norman R. Lilly, et al., and assigned to the assignee of this application, is incorporated herein by reference. Said U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,827 discloses a computer output printer with a bail rod. Attached to the bail rod is a separator rod that defines a path of travel for a web of release liner to which labels are affixed in a regular pattern. The web's path of travel runs past a print head which prints information on the label and then on to a separation edge defined by the separator rod. At the separation edge there is an angle in the path of travel. The angle is sufficiently large to cause the labels, which are stiffer than the liner, to separate from the liner. The label printing system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,827 has been found to be quite useful and efficient, particularly as part of parcel processing systems.
In the label printing system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,827, and in other known systems, the two rods or bars that define the label release path are held in close proximity to each other. The proximity of the two bars often makes it difficult or inconvenient to thread the label-bearing web along the desired path when the web is loaded into the system. Thus, it is desirable that a label separating apparatus be arranged to facilitate threading of a label-bearing web into the system.